Latest news with #mindset
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Michael Jordan's, Kobe Bryant's confidante reveals secret to their success
The man who helped Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to sporting immortality has revealed their 'most valuable' real estate. Speaking on the sidelines of AREC, Australasia's biggest real estate conference, during his first trip Down Under, Tim Grover shared his experiences working with some of the world's greatest athletes and what made them succeed. 'They realised the most valuable real estate was in between their ears,' Mr Grover said. The $500 'whole of Australia' solution to housing 'disaster' 'Who's renting space up here and shouldn't be renting space? This is your space for you to occupy. Your behaviours, your emotions, your reactions. If you choose those things, you become disciplined.' Mr Grover was Jordan and Bryant's personal trainer and mindset coach for more than 15 years, during their tenures playing for the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers. The CEO of Attack Athletics, who continues to coach and mentor athletes and business leaders, said their resilience and 'ability to always be in the moment' set them apart from other high performers. 'They never thought about the previous moment or the next moment,' he said. 'They knew there was a price that needed to be paid for winning and they were willing to pay that price. I asked Kobe; 'What does winning mean to you?' He said; 'Winning is everything'.' It's advice many real estate agents in the audience appreciated after hearing Mr Grover's key note speech. 'You can't have winning without losing,' he said. 'They're partners. 'When you lose, you don't get real low, and when you win, you don't get real high. Don't celebrate for too long. Winning's job is to replace you.' Mr Grover also had some tips for dealing with rejection — in life or in business. 'Here's the thing about rejection. You have to master the art of rejection. When you get rejected you're in no worse spot than you were before.' He explained that it was important to understand why you fell, so that you could get up quicker next time it happened. 'When you get up, don't rush to get up, because if you rush to get up you'll be the exact same individual that fell down.' He had some tough words for people looking to succeed in property, or generally. 'In business, a lot of people think about success, but they never actually do anything about it,' he said. 'When you start doing what's best for you, you're going to upset a lot of people. 'Stop spending time with individuals you don't like, doing things you don't want to do.' Along with Jordan and Bryant, Grover also coached such legendary names in basketball as Scott Pippen, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Dwayne Wade. The Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) also featured speakers such as former Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, Diary of a CEO podcast founder, Steven Bartlett, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Mauricio Umansky.
Gulf Business
3 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
Insights: What exactly do leaders do and why is it so difficult?
Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes We've all thought about it. What exactly does the CEO do all day? We may have considered this from the position of an employee, or launching a business and becoming the default CEO in the process, or perhaps being deep into a career full of leadership positions and taking a moment to reassess priorities. Whatever the case, it's easy to fall into the trap of idealising someone else's leadership, looking around and thinking that the well-known CEOs we see in the media are performing effortlessly. They're not. Effective leadership can be complex. According to recent data, 72 per cent of leaders report feeling burned out by the end of the day, and only 27 per cent feel they are highly effective at leading hybrid or virtual teams – a common issue these days. So, in this article, I'll look first at why leadership is so difficult and reveal how the best leaders overcome this by understanding the qualities and skills necessary for success. I'll also give my view that, ultimately, it's about mindset. You can't stop the problems, challenges and difficulties arising – and you can't fix them all, either. But you can control how you think about them and how you approach them. That's why in this article you'll find me continually going back to mindset as the key aspect of successful leadership. What do leaders do? We can make assumptions, but it's best to look at the facts, and a particularly notable piece of research was commissioned to answer this question. In a study that started in 2006 and lasted until 2018, two Harvard professors tracked the daily activities of 27 CEOs at businesses that had an average annual revenue of over $13bn. They found that, on average, CEOs worked 9.7 hours daily and spent nearly 80 per cent of weekends (and 70per cent of their holidays) working. Their time can be broken down as follows. Almost three-quarters of the CEO's time was scheduled in advance, with the rest being more spontaneous. When we break this down further, 25 per cent of their time was focused on people and relationships, 25 per cent on business unit reviews, 21 per cent on strategy, 16% on organisation and culture, 3 per cent on professional development, and 1 per cent on crisis management. When it comes to other top leadership positions, we can see a clear difference in the CEO setting the vision and driving the overall strategy, while the COO is primarily focused on the operational aspects of executing that vision. So these roles are distinct but interconnected. The CEO is shaping the company's direction and engaging stakeholders, while the COO ensures the engine runs smoothly, aligning internal processes and resources to deliver on the agreed-upon goals. This separation is crucial, as it enables the CEO to focus on outward-facing responsibilities such as investor relations, partnerships, and long-term planning, while the COO concentrates on day-to-day operations and organisational efficiency. At this point, it's also worth separating 'leadership' and 'management'. Yes, they are complementary, but they should remain distinct. Both are crucial for an organisation's success, yet many businesses today suffer from excessive management and insufficient leadership. The true challenge lies not in choosing one over the other, but in fostering both leadership and management in tandem, ensuring they work together to support and balance each other. So, let's look at what the CEO does in more detail: Defining vision and strategy: The first task of any leader is setting a clear vision for the future. This means understanding where the organisation needs to go, analysing trends, and making decisions that will shape long-term success. Strategy development is more than just planning. It involves anticipating market shifts, responding to competitive challenges, and sometimes reinventing the organisation to stay relevant. Making tough decisions: Leaders must allocate resources in a way that maximises the company's potential. But with resource limitations and competing priorities, these decisions are often difficult. Leaders must weigh immediate needs against long-term objectives and decide which projects or departments will receive funding, support and attention. Building culture: Culture is the backbone of any company, and leaders play a pivotal role in shaping and preserving it. They must communicate the company's values, encourage a culture that aligns with its mission, and ensure that every employee feels valued and engaged. When cultural issues arise, leaders must address them head-on to maintain a positive, productive environment . Managing people: From hiring the right talent to mentoring future leaders, all C-suite members, and leaders more generally, are deeply involved in people management. This includes providing feedback, setting goals, and aligning individual contributions with organisational priorities. Leaders often have to make tough calls about staffing, including making personnel changes to support the business's strategic needs. Navigating crisis and change: Crisis management requires resilience, composure and a relentless focus on finding solutions. These can range from team conflicts to communication breakdowns between departments or even simple errors that need immediate attention. Fires can flare up unexpectedly, and leaders often need to drop everything to deal with them. Delivering financial performance: Every leader is ultimately responsible for their organisation's financial performance. This includes setting revenue targets, controlling expenses, and ensuring the company remains profitable and sustainable. Balancing financial goals with other priorities often requires tough trade-offs. Why is leadership so difficult? Leadership is often difficult because it encompasses three key challenges that never stop. First, there is the constant presence of uncertainty with leaders required to make decisions with incomplete information, weighing risks against potential rewards. This ambiguity can be a persistent source of stress, as each decision influences the organisation's future and the lives of employees and stakeholders. Second, accountability adds immense pressure. Everyone has a boss, and leaders are answerable to shareholders, employees, customers, and the wider public, leaving them under intense scrutiny. They must take responsibility for both successes and failures while navigating criticism. Finally, the challenge of competing demands makes leadership especially taxing. Balancing financial goals, employee satisfaction, and other priorities requires leaders to manage short-term needs without losing sight of long-term objectives – a delicate task made even more challenging when resources are constrained. How can you address the challenges and prepare for leadership? Let's start with mindset. Leaders who embrace a growth mindset will view challenges as opportunities to learn (rather than obstacles). They seek feedback, adapt to new information, and continuously strive to improve. This mindset helps them remain flexible in ever-changing environments and keeps them open to innovative solutions. By treating challenges as stepping stones, these leaders cultivate resilience and inspire others to do the same. Leadership often involves high-stakes situations that can be emotionally draining. To manage these pressures, many leaders invest in emotional resilience training, learning techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and cognitive behavioural strategies. While we saw earlier that leaders often don't spend much time on professional development, learning these new approaches can help them process stress, maintain composure, and approach challenges with a clear mind. In short, do the job better – and for longer. Maintaining physical and emotional well-being through exercise, rest, and reflection ensures leaders remain sharp and balanced. After all, resilient leaders are better equipped to navigate complex dynamics and sustain their focus in demanding roles. So, while leadership responsibilities can be rigorous, the mindset brought to these tasks makes all the difference. Great leaders understand their team's diverse motivations and work to align individual goals with organisational objectives. They practise clear, two-way communication, ensuring that expectations are mutual. Adaptability is also key as team dynamics and corporate goals change; successful leaders adjust their approaches to remain effective and supportive. Strong leaders are also attentive listeners who foster a culture of open dialogue, encouraging collaboration and idea-sharing. Yet, leadership comes with challenges, including navigating personality clashes and managing diverse team dynamics. Not everyone will resonate with a leader's style or decisions, and not everyone will like you, but what matters is the ability to inspire trust and respect even amid differences. And let's not forget delegation. Delegating tasks empowers teams, builds resilience across the organisation, and allows leaders to focus on high-impact decisions. As Bill Gates said, 'As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.' It's not all struggle for leaders. One study showed that around 63% of C-suite executives find meaning in their work, with those numbers dropping off considerably as you move further down the organisational chart. Ultimately, the role of a leader – especially in large organisations – encompasses a wide array of challenging tasks and responsibilities. While these tasks are inherently difficult, leaders can develop the mindset and resilience needed to rise to the challenge. Through a combination of practical strategies and mental preparation, they can equip themselves to lead effectively, inspire their teams, and navigate the complexities of modern business. Leadership may never be easy, but with the right approach, it can be both rewarding and impactful. The writer is the head of Meydan Free Zone.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
This is how Sally Gunnell went from Olympic gold to training for ‘life performance' and longevity
Training to win Olympic gold and exercising for good health well into later life are two very different prospects. Today, I'm speaking to Sally Gunnell; one of the only people on the planet to have extensive experience of both. The former world champion hurdler is five minutes early for our interview, showing signs that her Olympic discipline remains. But, she tells me, her current fitness regime is far less stringent than it was 30 years ago. Instead of chasing sweat and medals, her emphasis is now on something she calls 'life performance'. 'I'm focussed on having enough energy, having enough focus, being happy in myself, being mobile, staying strong, being there for my family and preventing illnesses and injuries,' the 58-year-old says. 'But I still want to go out and have a glass of wine, eat my easter eggs, go on holiday and enjoy myself.' This approach has struck a chord with many. Gunnell's recent Instagram videos regularly reach five- and six-figure audiences, containing everything from accessible mobility routines and mindset hacks to quick home workouts you can do while the kettle boils. The mission, through this and her coaching company Life's Hurdle, is to 'help as many women as possible build confidence in life through mindset, exercise and nutrition'. To find out how, I quizzed Gunnell on how her training has shifted over the years, the best thing she believes you can do for your health, and the 'all or nothing' mindset shift that has a transformative effect on her clients. What does a typical week of training look like? Gunnell's exercise goals are refreshingly relatable, and strength training is the key to achieving them. This means two or three weekly sessions of lifting weights, with each one lasting anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. 'Even though I had my muscles when I was competing, as you age they just go – it's quite scary really, so weight sessions are an important part of my week' Gunnell tells me. Age-related strength and muscle loss is called sarcopenia, and this can start as early as your 30s. Strength training, be that lifting weights or bodyweight exercises like press-ups and squats, is the best way to counter this. 'I like to do good compound lifts [those that recruit multiple muscles at once], so that might be the squat, bench press and Romanian deadlift,' Gunnell says. 'I don't focus on all arms or all legs in a workout either, I mix it up. It doesn't need to be too complicated, I just make sure I [hit every major muscle group] in each training session .' To provide a sufficient stimulus for building strength and muscle, exercises should feel challenging too. Gunnell likes to work to the rule of thumb that 'the last two reps should be quite a strain'. To complement her strength training efforts, she also goes on regular dog walks and does a dedicated stretching session once or twice per week. 'Mobility is something I'm very conscious of, probably because I pushed my body for quite a few years, so it's really important for me to keep mobility in my legs and hips,' she explains. Gunnell still goes for a run a couple of times per week too, although she says these outings look very different to her track sessions of old. 'I'll go for a run, but it's very slow and it's much more about how I'm feeling,' she says. 'I suppose the cardio side is built into me. I don't need to go and run the marathon again, I just enjoy getting outside, getting into nature and having some really good thinking time. And I do think it's the best thing for managing stress.' The mindset change that makes the biggest difference Gunnell says the fitness pitfall most people fall into is adopting an 'all or nothing mindset'. They will set out with the best intentions, exercising regularly and adopting a healthier diet, then pack it all in as soon as they make any sort of slip-up – an act she likens to finding a flat tyre on your car then needlessly slashing the other three. 'If you miss a workout or overeat on one day, don't say 'I'm going to start again on Monday', then throw the rest of the week away. Just go back to your normal [healthy] routine as soon as you can – progress isn't about perfection,' she says. 'I like to think about it in terms of red, amber and green days. Your green days are your good days where you exercise and eat well, but sometimes you might have a red day where you don't feel like doing anything. On those days, is there one thing you can do to make it an amber day?' This could mean reaching for a nutritious snack rather than a chocolate bar, going for a short walk or doing a five-minute bodyweight workout. Making these small improvements on a regular basis is likely to have a compounding positive effect, and they can also keep you from falling off the fitness wagon. 'There are all sorts of different journeys people go on, but roughly it takes Life's Hurdle members about three months to get to a good place where they're not giving themselves a hard time and always trying to get that perfect day,' says Gunnell. 'This mindset change is a slow thing we have to work on, but it's the key to long-term health and building it into your life.' The best thing you can do for your health Linked to Gunnell's traffic light philosophy; if you're looking for a straightforward way to turn a red day into an amber one, her foundational advice couldn't be more simple: 'Get up and get walking.' 'Too many people sit behind a desk at work, then they sit in front of the telly when they come home,' she says. 'So I would say the best thing you can do is get up, get mobile, get outside and just get walking. Stretch that over the day and break your day up instead of just sitting there for eight-plus hours. I think doing that can make a big difference to a lot of people.' Walking can also be your workout for the day, particularly if you're struggling for time, she adds. 'Sometimes, when I do cardio, I only have 20 minutes so I'll go and find a hill then walk up and down it, or run up and jog back. It doesn't take long, but it gets your heart rate up, and then in your head you've done something for the day. I feel so much better afterwards as well.' Navigating life's hurdles Life's Hurdle is Gunnell's online coaching company, which she runs with her son Luca. The pair founded it in March 2024, and it has since grown from strength to strength. 'Lots of members want to lose weight and tone up, of course, but it's also about helping people feel good in themselves; having that confidence, an effective mindset, and fitting fitness into their lives,' she says. 'What I love most about it is hearing from ladies who've been with us since the beginning. They now say [exercise] is no longer about weight loss for them, but the confidence it brings them in life, and the fact their friends and family are noticing how much happier they are. That's the bit that I love, and that's what exercise can do – it's powerful.' Members have access to a personalised exercise programme, as well as two live classes per week and a weekly live chat where they can pepper the coaches with questions. There is also education around lifestyle factors such as sleep and diet, as well as a community group chat. 'The community side is great,' Gunnell says. 'I think it's the accountability that people like. They like that we care and we're there to support them and navigate them through all sorts of things they're going through in their life. 'I think for a lot of people they're daunted by gyms, they're daunted by never having done any exercise or strength training before in their life, and we give them the confidence to get their weights set up in their lounge and join in.' When can I start? People tend to delay their exercise plans until a certain date, be that a Monday, the first day of the month or, in many cases, the start of a new year. But in Gunnell's eyes, there's no time like the present. 'There's never a right or wrong time to start exercising,' she says. 'People often delay it because they're going on holiday or they have a busy month, when actually you would do better getting started now.' Gunnell identifies this as one of the most common things standing between Life's Hurdle members and a regular exercise routine. She has also spotted another recurring theme among clients. 'As women, we always put ourselves last,' she explains. 'We always look after everybody else – I've had a lot of ladies tell me, 'I want to do something for me because I'm always the one running around after the kids or the husband or the parents'. They come to us and say, 'This is the first time I've ever done something for me'. I think that's true, and I think it's very powerful as well.' Perform the superset below between one (for beginners) and three (for a challenge) times, leaving 60 seconds of rest between sets Goblet squat x10-12 Floor press x10-12 Perform the superset below between one (for beginners) and three (for a challenge) times, leaving 60 seconds of rest between sets Single-arm row x10-12 (on each side) Glute bridge x10-12 This four-move workout promises to recruit and strengthen muscles in your legs, back, glutes, chest, shoulders, arms and core with just four moves. If you perform the maximum three rounds of each superset it should still take no more than 20 minutes. A superset simply means performing two exercises back to back with no rest in between. For this workout, you would perform 10-12 goblet squats, move straight into 10-12 floor presses, then rest for 60 seconds before repeating this sequence. Once you have done your chosen number of rounds, move on to the next superset (single-arm rows and glute bridges) and follow the same sequence. Gunnell also recommends adding a core-strengthening exercise of your choice at the end, such as a dead bug or bird dog. Benefits of this workout The key to Gunnell's strength training workouts, both for herself and for her members at Life's Hurdle, is accessibility. This is because the workout people do will always be more effective than the one they don't. 'There are all sorts of different tools you can use, whether that's a couple of dumbbells, resistance bands or a kettlebell,' she says. 'You don't always need to have weights – you can use bodyweight exercises as well. 'I don't think workouts have to be complicated either. It's important to do them right technically, but you don't need to get too fancy with it – do the basics and do them well.' She tries to hit every major muscle group in each session, strengthening not only the muscles but also the bones, tendons, ligaments and joints across her entire body. This will make everyday tasks feel easier, and leave your body more resilient to injury.
News24
24-05-2025
- Business
- News24
Who is Mel Robbins? The self-help guru who turned a five-second hack into global success
Self-help maven Mel Robbins overcame a financial crisis of $800 000 by creating the '5 Second Rule,' which she says helped her take control of her life and improve productivity. She authored The 5 Second Rule, The High 5 Habit, and The Let Them Theory, with millions of copies sold worldwide despite mixed reviews for her latest book. With 28 million followers, an award-winning podcast, and accolades like Forbes' '50 Over 50,' Robbins is a leading voice in mindset and behaviour change. Mel Robbins is the woman behind some of the world's most highly successful self-help books and an award-winning podcast. Her literary contributions include The 5 Second Rule (2017), The High 5 Habit (2021), and The Let Them Theory (2024). She also hosts The Mel Robbins Podcast, which earned her the prestigious 'People's Choice Award' at the 2022 Webbys. The 56-year-old has amassed 28 million followers online and is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities in mindset, personal growth, and behaviour change. While she currently rides the waves of her success, the New York Times best-selling author wasn't always at the top. She candidly shared her struggles with debt 15 years ago, at age 41, revealing that she and her husband faced a daunting financial crisis of approximately $800 000 (roughly R14 million). At the time, the pair tried but failed to launch a successful restaurant business. This financial burden brought significant stress and a feeling of powerlessness, she shared during a chat with CNN's Sara Sidner earlier this year. 'I found myself at a rock-bottom moment,' Robbins confessed. During one of her TED talks, she also said, 'When that happens, you realise a couple of things about life. One of them is that no one is coming to save you, and as much as the situation that you're in is unfair, and you may not be responsible for where you are in your life at this moment, you will have something happen where you realise that it's your responsibility to stop bitching and to do something.' And that's precisely what she did. Deciding that she had to take responsibility for her life, Robbins set to work, actively taking steps to reduce spending, increase her income, and create a budget to manage her finances. And how did she do it? Using a five-second rule on herself. The turning point came one morning when she was paralysed with anxiety, knowing she needed to get out of bed to prepare her daughter for school. Robbins, who often hit the snooze button, decided in that moment to try a simple countdown: 'five, four, three, two, one' - and then she forced herself out of bed. 'I used it in my personal life for three years and didn't tell anybody. I didn't know why it worked. I was like, five, four, three, two, one. Get out of bed. Five, four, three, two, one. Go for a run. Five, four, three, two, one. Pick up the phone and network until you get a job. Five, four, three, two, one…' Robbins explained in countless TED talks and podcast shows. Going forward, she religiously counted down five seconds before tackling her important tasks, an action that drastically improved her productivity and overall quality of life. Soon afterwards, this became the foundation for her highly successful book, The 5 Second Rule, reinforcing the importance of taking immediate positive action when faced with a difficult decision or difficult task. Since its first printing, the book has sold over 200 million copies and been translated into over 30 languages. Following its success, she wrote another best-seller, The High 5 Habit, which preaches the importance of giving yourself a pat on the back and offering yourself the same level of love and encouragement you offer loved ones. The book has been described as 'a simple yet profound tool that changes your attitude, your mindset and your behaviour.' Her third book, The Let Them Theory, encourages people to stop trying to control other people's behaviours/decisions and focus on their own lives. It attracted significant backlash and criticism from critics who shared concerns that the book can lead to neglecting important relationships and ignoring hurtful behaviour from others. Some claimed that it lacked originality and was oversimplified and impractical. Despite this, in March this year, The Mel Robbins Podcast won Best Overall Host at the iHeartRadio podcast awards and in November 2024, Apple announced that the podcast was the 7th-most shared of Apple Podcasts' programmes in the US for the year. In 2023, Forbes named her '50 Over 50' in the Lifestyle Category.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Meet the former EFL star who now charges £15,000 as a keynote speaker: Paul McVeigh opens up on 'second life' and reveals how teams can cope with the pressure of a play-off final
Paul McVeigh looked around the Tottenham dressing room for the first time. The Northern Irishman, then 17, saw Sol Campbell, Jurgen Klinsmann and Teddy Sheringham among others. 'I didn't realise I had an inferiority complex,' McVeigh, who moved to England in his teens after growing up in Belfast, tells Mail Sport. 'All these top players, they're all lovely off the pitch so that wasn't the intimidating part. 'It was more the fact that I'd come from Belfast and I was one of only a few in our youth team who wasn't an English lad and assured in their own ability. 'Being around some of the best players in the world was really challenging for me.' A friend then urged McVeigh - who went on to have a hugely impressive career for the likes of Spurs, Luton and Norwich - to read a book on performance psychology and mindset. Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins, a renowned self-help guru, author and motivational speaker, was the recommendation. That 'opened the floodgates' as McVeigh admits, and led him on a journey of discovery. 'Maybe my friend saw something I was lacking,' adds McVeigh, who is intriguing company. 'I then had this real fascination of what is it that people are doing? Why are some people successful and other people aren't? Why isn't talent enough? 'It made me realise we're (footballers) all technically and physically at a level. From my perspective, I was always the smallest player in the team at five foot six, so what could I do to try and get an advantage over these other players?' That journey took McVeigh through a career that saw him represent Northern Ireland 20 times, play in the Premier League and win two titles with Norwich, where he holds legendary status. He retired in 2010 at the age of 32 after Norwich won League One in an attempt to finish on a high and also start his 'second life'. McVeigh, who is the first Premier League footballer to secure a Masters degree in psychology, is now one of the most respected keynote speakers and performance psychologists around. Such has his success been that the 47-year-old charges £15,000 per speech and possesses blue-chip clients including PWC, Microsoft, Investec and KPMG. 'It really does come down to the limits we place on ourselves,' adds McVeigh, who also works with one Championship club. 'That's one of the things that I talk about with my corporate clients. 'In that world, like the football world, there's a huge emphasis on technical quality to do the role. If you ask any player or coach, what do they spend 95 per cent of their time on? It's training and reinforcing technical and physical aspects, but the psychological aspect, how much time are players working on that? 'In my experience of having been in this world for 30 years, very little, if not nothing at all and it's the single greatest area of improvement and it's also the greatest point of differentiation. 'The same thing applies in the corporate world. If you have a brilliant accountant who's physically capable of doing the job, what's the difference? Why is one firm better than the other? 'And again it comes back to psychology. And all of these things are so far down the pecking order in an organisation and I'm constantly trying to bump it up and get it to the top.' The £15,000 McVeigh, who is also an author, is able to charge is an eye-watering figure, but again it has all developed as a result of his mindset. 'When I stopped playing I went on a course in America and I was learning how to deliver a keynote speech from a guy who was at the time charging $10,000 an hour,' he explains. 'I'd never been paid one pound to speak in public, and I was learning from a guy who charged them $10,000 an hour! So you can see how my belief would be like, how is that possible? $10,000 an hour? That is something I'd love to do one day.' McVeigh's first booking raked in £3,000 after he was initially unsure on what to charge. 'After that, I was like 'now I'm a three grand an hour speaker'. That was my figure through that first year and suddenly I became quite confident. 'I felt like my beliefs were growing, I liked what I was doing. And of course, I'm trying to put up my fee, and it goes up to £3,500. 'Then I got my Masters in psychology so I thought maybe I should put my fee up again. And then again, it keeps going up based on my self-belief and the companies I work for. So I'm constantly challenging my limited beliefs and what I think I'm worth.' McVeigh, who also has a degree in sports science, readily admits psychology and mindset was never a priority for clubs during his playing days and he went above and beyond to focus on his own headspace. The psychology departments clubs now possess are significantly larger than ever before, and McVeigh is full of belief that the footballing world has so much to share with the business world. They are likely to be hard at work ahead of a bumper Bank Holiday weekend of EFL play-off finals, matches that have so much riding on them. McVeigh was on the losing side in 2002 when Norwich lost the Division One final to Birmingham on penalties, although he quips it was probably his best ever game for the Canaries. So, what advice would he have for the six teams stepping out at Wembley over the next few days? 'The problem when it comes to this is players end up playing the occasion and not going out to do what they know they're capable of,' he explains. McVeigh urged those in play-off finals to focus on playing the game rather than the occasion 'That's generally why players get caught up in this situation of either feeling nervous or anxious and it's nothing to do with the game. 'It's more to do with the meaning the player has given to what's happening on the pitch because ultimately, the game is always the same, whether you're in training or in a match. 'Yes there's more riding on it, but I suppose the skillset of a professional is realising they can go in and play games. 'And no matter if it is the biggest moment of their career or a training game, they need to still go and perform at that level.'
